Glagolitic script, the oldest script of Croatian written culture, is today largely treated as a museum piece. Although actively used as a symbol of Croatian identity, its full spectrum of uses and functionalities, as well as its potential for contemporary application, remains unknown to the wider public. Instead of a relic, this work views Glagolitic script as a design tool whose capacity can be reactivated through typographic experiment.

Through the parallel realms of play, experiment, and design interpretation, the role of cultural heritage and the functional possibilities of Glagolitic script beyond its liturgical and ornamental framework are re-examined. Through a series of exercises, the script was tested within contemporary communication scenarios: visual identities, technology, signage, and informal communication. The research showed that Glagolitic script can function as a relevant visual language even in today’s environment, but it also identified aspects that need to be adapted and developed for Glagolitic script to have the opportunity to participate equally in the contemporary recording and transmission of information.

The resulting material is brought together in the work G.IRL 25 (Glagoljica In Real Life): a visual essay which initiates a series of Glagolitic micro-uses, typographic simulations, and snapshot documentation from a parallel present in which Glagolitic script takes on the role of Latin script. The idea that cultural heritage must be static is rejected – a script is not a fragile object to be cared for through isolation, but a communication tool that flourishes with use.